Sopita de Fideo

This has been a soup that I make atleast once a week for the kids lately. I learned ho to make it from Eli's mother...as he has always wanted me to learn how to make his mother's dishes so he has a taste of home.

Fideo is a type of pasta that looks like vermicelli noodles that are broken up. Sometimes, depending on the brand of pasta you get, it is called vermicelli. The packets of pastas can be found in the ethnic aisle in most regular grocery stores. Obviously, if you go to Mexican stores you will find tons of packages of them. Also, called "soup pasta" in some areas. Mini alphabet pasta can be readily found in grocery stores and the kids like that sometimes. We mostly use either fideos, estrellas (stars), or letras (alphabets). A lot of people like the watermelon seed shaped pastas...the spanish word for those slips my mind right now...hm, that will bother me now haha.

Here is a picture of different types/brands of pasta. The one on the top right says angel hair pieces...that can also be referred to as "fideo". I usually use a couple of other brands, oddly enough, but these were all on sale at Pancho Villa the other day so I tried a few of each:

I call this "fideo" because it is made with fideo pasta. When using other soup pastas, I call it "sopita" which literal translation means "little soup". Furthermore, any version of this soup can be referred to as sopita, including fideo. Confused yet?

One of the coolest things about this soup, besides its delicious and comforting flavor is the total cost for making a pot. DIRT CHEAP, let me tell you! We aren't talking sales here and the most I pay for a 7oz package of pasta is 50 cents. A lot of times I buy them while procuring other items at the mexican market we frequent...in this case, I can get each 7oz package for roughly 25-33cents per pack. Your only other main ingredient to this is tomato sauce and we know how cheap those cans are. All of this stuff is already in your pantry. Pennies per pot. Good gracious that brings a smile to my face and to the kids.

FIDEO:

**1 -7oz pkg fideo pasta (feel free to use a different pasta for sopita)

**about 1 1/2 cans (15oz each) or 3 -8oz cans of tomato sauce (this isnt an exact science, people)

**around I'd say 1/8c of chopped white or brown onion

**1 1/2 chicken stock cubes (I use Knorr)

**garlic salt

**4.5qt water
**2 TBSP canola oil

**limes, halved (optional...but not in this house)

**canned jalapeno juice (again optional, but I would be flogged for not having it on the table)

Put the oil in a large pot (I use my 8qt) and put over a solid medium heat. Dump in the bag of pasta and make sure each piece is coated with the oil. The dry pieces tend to burn, so take the time to swish around that pasta at the beginning. GIve the pan a little shake to even it all out and then stir every once and a while to evenly brown the pasta to "golden". This takes about7-10 minutes. MIND YOUR PASTA. Stay in that kitchen and have your onion ready, your stock cubes unwrapped and your tomato sauce open and waiting.

When your pasta is ALMOST to the golden brown that you intend it to be, pop in the chopped onion. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, stirring so as not to burn the onion but to release those flavors. Your kitchen is smelling good...

Pour in about half the tomato sauce. It will most certainly cause a ruckus in the pot with the bubbling and such so keep the kids away ;) Stir it all into the pasta, gently. Turn your heat up to high and pour a few cups of the water into the pot. (I like to use water that has been chilling in a second pot coming to a boil...yet not really boiling. I dunno, its the wanna-be chef in me that thinks that pasta should be introduced to boiling water. My mother in law and loads of other people I know use water from the tap at this point. You make your choice.). Break your stock cube up into the soup and it will begin to desolve. Add the rest of your water.

Let me be clear here. There a billion recipes for sopita out there and anyone who is reading this and has made it themselves have probably already shook their head back and forth and said curses to themselves for my lack of respect to the "real" way to make it. Whatever, this is the Barajas recipe. Like it or lump it. lol

OK, now you will look at your soup and season with the garlic salt to your liking and add the rest of your tomato sauce. You make it as red as you want! I dont like my soup to look watery so I am liable to add 2 15oz cans on occasion. This recipe is so easy, you better be able to do it from memory! I only have quantities for reference, but I have never used a measuring device or scale for sopita EVER. You are best served not to as well. THAT is where the last ingredient that I havent mentioned comes in...

LOVE!

OK. Bring to a boil, if it isnt already and cook for several minutes until that pasta is done. Turn it off and it will be hot and ready for any passers by who crave a little taste of love. Serve it with a squeeze of lime and a few drops of jalapeno juice for spice, if you like. Pots of this have been known to sit on the stove all day, being reheated minimally since the kids eat theirs at a lower temp that the rest of us do. I doubt you will have any left by the end of the day...we have never had "leftover" sopita.

Think about it. All ingredients accounted for, you spend like $3 for a big 'ol pot! Gotta love that!

Hasta luego and smooches. Let me know how you like it!